# Help choosing a nail stamping machine & plates



## MissPriss04 (Feb 20, 2014)

Hi everyone! I'm new to the nail art world. I have seen nail stamping machines online I was wondering which one everyone else was using? Which is easiest to use? Also I see that most of the machines have hexagon shaped plates that come with them but I see round plates for sale online as well. Can the round plates be used in the nail stamping machines? Thanks for your help!  /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />


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## Monika1 (Mar 26, 2014)

Honestly, I think most of us aren't using any nail art stamping machine. Yes, I'm aware of those contraptions that have sliding and pushing steps and that stamp with a specific alignment if your finger is in the exactly correct place on the machine, but I've actually never tried one. I think the average person who does nail art with image plates probably, like me, has 1) the image plates, 2) a scraper (or old store card), and 3) a stamper. That's it! I had left this question when I initially came across it to see if someone with stamping machine experience would answer it, but I imagine you're excited to get started with nail art. If you haven't bought a machine yet, hold off, get the basics, and then you might be in a better place to decide if you feel you still need the machine. I think the machine may slightly help with lining up images at the huge cost of much more required cleaning work. The benefit with a simple stamper and scraper is that you can also use any shape or size image plate, and they exist in many forms - round, square, rectangular, hexagonal, etc! Check the stamping thread for many discussions on what you need to get started etc. Good luck!


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## SunshineCitizen (Mar 27, 2014)

Monika1, you did an amazing job of summarizing it all and that is definitely exactly how I feel. A stamping machine is definitely not a necessity when it comes to nail art stamping. You can do just as fine stamping on the designs yourself, using a stamper and scraper, at a fraction of the cost. Does aligning the image require practice? Of course it does, but all in all, I find the whole process to be lots of fun and pretty rewarding.  MissPriss04 good luck and have fun doing nail art!


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## BrierReviewer (Jul 20, 2014)

Thanks Monika1, this was very helpful!


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## Damian# (Dec 3, 2014)

Recommend Electric Nail File


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## Monika1 (Dec 16, 2014)

Damian# said:


> Recommend Electric Nail File


I don't find I've ever needed one. I use gel polish and regular polish, and a small hand file or buffer block serves the purpose very well without the danger of an untrained amateur (me) causing damage to her nails or nail beds due to untrained use of a power device. I do imagine I could figure it out, given all the available information online, but I could then just potentially use appropriate attachments to the Dremel we have anyway. Obviously, it means I don't have the experience to suggest one for you. Good luck making your decision.


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